


Alex's (Late) Birthday Jamboree

by Tastethatcake



Category: Mass Effect
Genre: F/M, Fluff, OC, Romance, ily alex, lara shepard, lets pretend im not heinously late 4 ur bday, more 2 be added - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-11-23
Updated: 2015-11-23
Packaged: 2018-05-03 02:58:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,302
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5273906
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tastethatcake/pseuds/Tastethatcake
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>3 part bday gift for alex :' ) lets do this shit</p>
            </blockquote>





	Alex's (Late) Birthday Jamboree

**Author's Note:**

> I hope I actually described Lara well and reflected what you think of her and Garrus' relationsip?? Anywayyyy I hope u enjoy this cheesiness :' )

Words had always been hard for Garrus, especially in the beginning. No matter how long he spent practicing in the mirror before an encounter, or how much sarcasm he tried to inject into a conversation, the words never came out right. It took practice with each role he entered. He was a good leader, even better after he stopped stumbling through speeches and started giving his words meaning. He was good at flirting, if the subject of his affections was a brash Turian woman. He was a good friend, after he learned what his companion wanted to hear. It took time, always time, to figure out what to say and how to say it.

It was harder with Shepard. She was someone unknown, an independent variable who was as guarded as she was earnest and firm as she was soft. She was hard to figure out.

Even worse, words had always seem to come so easily to Shepard: whether it had been giving encouraging advice to the team, persuading a shifty merchant into giving a discount, or even cobbling together a few well chosen curse words to yell at enemies, Shepard could do it. It was one of her greatest skills as a leader.

And that hadn’t bothered him at first. It made her a good friend. A woman worth following. 

It had just been like that, simple and straight forward. Until, well…

“We could test your reach.. And my flexibility.”

He hadn’t expected it. Hell, he didn’t even know what to say or to think. To him, humans had never been particularly attractive. They were small and far too soft looking, with sharp features and large eyes and mouths. Shepard was no exception to this. But at the same time… why not? Why not take a spin at trying human intercourse? It wasn’t like there were any female turians in sight, and there was a mutual need for stress relief between them. So why not? What could the consequences possibly be?

Now Garrus could laugh at his younger self’s naivety. The consequence was falling in love, harder and faster than he had ever experienced before. 

In the past, Garrus’ experiences with romance had always occurred with the intention of clothing removal as the destination. Past that, relationships ended quickly. There had never been anything beyond sex to keep them going.

Now Garrus knew why. Beautiful women were common, but beautiful souls were not. Shepard was both, and once Garrus figured that out, he was doomed. 

She was calm like a post-battle war zone. She had a serenity that hid deeper damage. And she held rage, Spirits, did she ever. A wrath that tore apart enemies if need be, a wrath that manifested in cold looks and strong words, but never resulted in an unnecessary death. Because she was kind. Generous and intuitive and caring. She was willing to look past someone’s bad deeds and see the goodness that might make them worth saving. This was something that Garrus had lacked, and he had learned from her. She had made him better.

This was what made Garrus fall in love with her. Not any physical desires or promises of sex. Just her.

But even that had blossomed into more. Now as he lay next to her in bed, he saw the physical beauty that he had first missed.

All strange human features begin to hold a charm after one got used to them. She was so soft, her skin, her hair, her lips. Especially when she was sleeping, she had no sharp edges, nothing that Garrus could cut himself on. When she was awake she looked like a statue carved from rock. Her every detail seemed chiseled out with a precision that made Garrus think that if the human god was real, he made her with his own hands. Sometimes she would smile at him after a fight, still covered in her own blood or someone else’s, and her blue eyes would shine with a contagious energy. 

Even her name was beautiful. Lara, Lara, Lara. A lingering sense of formality between them kept him from calling her that out loud, but when he was alone, he found himself whispering it. The name stuck in his mouth, impossible to wrap his tongue around, but he loved to try.

Lying on his side now, looking at Shepard’s soft sleeping face, he decided to try again.

“Lara,” he said softly, and it came out all wrong. “Lara, Lara, Lara.”

And as he spoke, Shepard’s face twisted into an expression of pain. She began to squirm under the sheets and her breathing quickened. She was having one of her nightmares again. 

Garrus reached out and gently shook her shoulder. She was a light sleeper, and her eyes opened instantly, wide and afraid. 

“Garrus?” Her voice was groggy and tinged with fear.

“I’m here,” Garrus said, and pressed his forehead against hers. “I’m here, Shepard. I’m here. Don’t worry.”

She closed her eyes and sunk into his arms. “It was the child again,” she whispered.

“It’s okay. It wasn’t real, you’re fine.” 

She sighed with relief and relaxed in Garrus’ arms. “I wonder if, when all this is over, will these dreams stop? Or will I have them for the rest of my life?”

“I think when all this is over,” Garrus chuckled, “you’ll have all the time and money you need to get the best therapy in the galaxy.”

Shepard smiled before pulling away from Garrus and rolling out of bed. “True. I think we’ll all need it.”

Shepard grabbed the discarded pair of pants on the floor and began pulling them up one leg while gracelessly hopping over to the aquarium. She pushed the button to dispense food, and the fish shot up to the top of the tank. 

“You’re quite a multitasker,” Garrus quipped, amused.

Shepard zipped her pants and walked to her wardrobe for a shirt. “I have to feed them when I remember, or I never will.”

“I know. Remember when the first time I came in here to… woo you,” he coughed awkwardly.

“Which you did quite successfully, by the way.”

“-All the fish in the tank were dead? Kinda ruined the mood, frankly.”

“I know,” she laughed. “It makes me wonder, if I can’t even keep the fish alive, how am I supposed to save the entire galaxy?” She smiled as she spoke, but Garrus heard a bit of sincerity in her words.

“Hey,” Garrus said, standing up and joining Shepard next to the aquarium. He cupped her cheek. “Unlike the fish, the entire galaxy is not helpless. You’re not the only one working hard to save it. Now, how about I start looking after the fish as well? I’m certainly in here enough. With our combined forgetfulness, I’m sure we won’t lose another fishy life.” 

“That would be perfect, Garrus.” Shepard smiled and turned to the door. “It’ll be the first, and hopefully not last, pet we’ll own together.”

They held hands as they exited Shepard’s quarters together. “How about we get our very own pet Vorcha after all this?” 

Shepard laughed. “I was thinking something more along the lines of a dog.”

And as Garrus looked down at Shepard’s smiling face, he thought about how naturally he could speak to her. Once upon a time, he had been all awkward flirting and failed romantic intentions. Shepard’s social ease had almost frustrated him; it made him wonder if he was truly a worthy partner for her. Now they spoke as if they had already been together for years. He wondered how he could ever have been so afraid of her disliking him, when clearly they had were bound to be together from the start.

And he wanted to face each day with her for the rest of his life.


End file.
